System and Method for Managing Contacts in an Instant Messaging Environment

1. A computer-implemented method comprising: categorizing two or more instant messaging contact names for a single user into a single meta contact wherein said two or more instant messaging contact names are associated with different instant messaging accounts on different instant messaging services; prioritizing the two or more instant messaging contact names within said meta contact to which to transmit instant messages based on a specified prioritization scheme; receiving a request from a sending user to transmit an instant message directed to said meta contact; if the user is registered as “online” with both a first instant messaging account and a second instant messaging account within the meta contact, then selecting the first instant messaging account to send the instant message if the first instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the second messaging account and selecting the second instant messaging account to send the instant message if the second instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the first instant messaging account; and if the user is listed as “offline” with one of the first and second instant messaging accounts and “online” with the other of the first and second instant messaging accounts, then selecting the instant messaging account with which the user is listed as “online” to send the instant message notwithstanding the relative priorities of the first and second instant messaging accounts; wherein the first instant messaging account of the user is associated with a first instant messaging service and the second instant messaging account of the user is associated with a second instant messaging service and the first service uses a different protocol to transmit instant messages than the second instant messaging service.

2. The method as in claim 1 further comprising: opening an instant messaging session with said one selected instant messaging contact name.

3. The method as in claim 1 wherein categorizes comprises concurrently highlighting said two or more instant messaging contact names and generating a command to create said meta contact.

4. The method as in claim 3 wherein said command to generate said meta contact is generated by right-clicking a mouse to generate a menu and selecting a “create meta-contact” option from said menu.

5. The method as in claim 1 wherein said prioritization scheme is based on an order in which said instant messaging contact names appear within a meta contact list.

6. The method as in claim 5 wherein said order is graphically displayed beneath said meta contact within an instant messaging contact list.

7. The method as in claim 1 further comprising: causing the meta contact to be displayed in a contact list, wherein the contact list includes a first section identifying users registered as “online” and a second section identifying users registered as “offline,” and wherein said meta contact is displayed in the first section of a contact list when one of the two or more instant messaging contact names registers as “online” even though a different one of the two or more instant messaging contact names registers as “offline.”

8. The method as in claim 1 further comprising: selecting a first contact name which appears relatively lower in said order than a second contact name if said first contact name is registered on its respective instant messaging service as “idle” whereas said second contact name is registered on its respective instant messaging service as “offline.”

9. The method as in claim 1 wherein said two or more instant messaging contact names are associated with different instant messaging services.

10. A computer system for providing an instant messaging graphical user interface (GUI) comprising: a computer processor; an instant messaging contact list including a plurality of contact names, each of the contact names associated with different instant messaging accounts on different instant messaging services; at least one meta contact entry within the instant messaging contact list, the meta contact entry representing two or more different instant messaging contact names associated with a corresponding two or more different instant messaging services for the same user, the meta contact entry selectable via a mouse pointer or other cursor control device, and the individual contact names individually selectable via a mouse pointer or other cursor control device; wherein, upon receiving a selection of said meta contact entry by a user, an instant messaging session is initiated with one of said two or more different contact names based on a specified prioritization scheme configurable by the user, wherein, in response to receiving a request from a sending user to transmit an instant message directed to said meta contact, if the user is registered as “online” with both a first instant messaging account and a second instant messaging account within the meta contact, then the GUI causes the selection of the first instant messaging account to send the instant message if the first instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the second messaging account and selecting the second instant messaging account to send the instant message if the second instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the first instant messaging account; and wherein if the user is listed as “offline” with one of the first and second instant messaging accounts and “online” with the other of the first and second instant messaging accounts, then the GUI cases the selection of the instant messaging account with which the user is listed as “online” to send the instant message notwithstanding the relative priorities of the first and second instant messaging accounts; wherein the first instant messaging account of the user is associated with a first instant messaging service and the second instant messaging account of the user is associated with a second instant messaging service and the first service uses a different protocol to transmit instant messages than the second instant messaging service.

11. The system as in claim 10 wherein said prioritization scheme comprises an order in which said contact names appear beneath said meta contact entry.

12. The system as in claim 10 wherein said two or more contact names appear as said mouse pointer or other cursor control device is passed over said meta contact entry.

13. The system as in claim 10 wherein, as said mouse pointer is passed over each of said two or more contact names, information related to each of said contact names appears in a pop-up window.

14. The system as in claim 10 wherein each of said contact names registered as being online on their respective instant messaging services are highlighted to indicate an online status.

15. The system as in claim 10 generating said meta contact entry comprises: concurrently highlighting said two or more instant messaging contact names within said contact list and generating a command to create said meta contact.

16. The system as in claim 15 wherein said command to generate said meta contact is generated by right-clicking a mouse to generate a menu and selecting a “create meta-contact” option from said menu.

17. The system as in claim 10 wherein the instant messaging contact list has a first section identifying individuals registered as “online” and a second section identifying individuals registered as “offline,” and the meta contact entry is in the first section when one of the two or more different instant messaging contact names registers as “online” even though a different one of the two or more different contact names registers as “offline.”

18. A machine-readable medium having program code stored thereon which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform the operations of: categorizing two or more instant messaging contact names for a single user into a single meta contact wherein said two or more instant messaging contact names are associated with different instant messaging accounts on different instant messaging services; prioritizing the two or more instant messaging contact names within said meta contact to which to transmit instant messages based on a specified prioritization scheme; receiving a request from a sending user to transmit an instant message directed to said meta contact; if the user is registered as “online” with both a first instant messaging account and a second instant messaging account within the meta contact, then selecting the first instant messaging account to send the instant message if the first instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the second messaging account and selecting the second instant messaging account to send the instant message if the second instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the first instant messaging account; and if the user is listed as “offline” with one of the first and second instant messaging, accounts and “online” with the other of the first and second instant messaging accounts, then selecting the instant messaging account with which the user is listed as “online” to send the instant message notwithstanding the relative priorities of the first and second instant messaging accounts; wherein the first instant messaging account of the user is associated with a first instant messaging service and the second instant messaging account of the user is associated with a second instant messaging service and the first service uses a different protocol to transmit instant messages than the second instant messaging service.

19. The method as in claim 18 comprising additional program code stored on the machine readable medium to cause the machine to perform the operations of: opening an instant messaging session with said one selected instant messaging contact name.

20. The method as in claim 18 wherein categorizes comprises concurrently highlighting said two or more instant messaging contact names and generating a command to create said meta contact.